Parlando: The COC Blog

11/4/2014

Free Concert Series Highlights for November

This November, the Free Concert Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre features an eclectic mix of concerts. From programs that showcase vocal and chamber music gems, to unique genre-bending world music and jazz, you will find concerts to move, inspire and entertain you. Here are a few that you won't want to miss!

Jewish-Canadian trumpeter and composer David Buchbinder teams up with Cuban piano master Hilario Durán and a crew of Canada’s top jazz and world musicians to form Odessa/Havana. In a unique cross-cultural collaboration, the group explores the commonalities of music from the Iberian peninsula and their shared Arabic, Roma, Sephardic and North African roots.

In the second of six concerts in our sub-series, A Century of Change: Remembering the World Wars and the Fall of the Berlin Wall, French-Canadian pianist Maxim Bernard commemorates the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War with a touching program of works written during the war. Maxim reflects on the role of the artist during one of the most pivotal periods in Western history through works by Rachmaninov, Medtner, Hindemith, Scriabin, Fauré and Ravel.

Award-winning singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Dominic Mancuso leads a powerhouse quintet of Canada’s foremost world musicians in a compelling sonic exploration of his ancestry. With his passionate and soulful singing style, infectious on-stage energy and enchanting storytelling, Dominic embraces the repertoire of his southern Italian forefathers and infuses it with the rich multicultural flavours of his native Toronto. In this special presentation, he performs highlights from his Juno Award-winning album, Comfortably Mine, as well as the group’s recent studio offering, Sub Urban Gypsy.

Two of Canada’s leading chamber musicians, flautist Susan Hoeppner and percussionist Beverley Johnston, unite for an eclectic hour of music for flute inspired by landscapes ranging from Canada’s Arctic to the island of Bali. The program includes works by Gareth Farr (Kembang Suling), Lou Harrison (Ariadne), Arvo Pärt (Spiegel im Spiegel), Dean Burry (Tempest in a Teacup) and Christos Hatzis (Arctic Dreams).

Don't miss the opportunity to hear the stars of tomorrow when artists of The Glenn Gould School present a rich and varied program of music for chamber ensemble and voice. The concert features a variety of vocal chamber gems, including Chausson’s entrancing Chanson perpétuelle for soprano and piano quintet. Hear Jessye Norman's take on the piece in the recording below.

Is there a concert you're looking forward to this month? Share it with us in the comments or on our Facebook page!

Can we get a womp-womp for valve trombones?

by Meighan Szigeti, Associate Manager, Digital Marketing

With Falstaff wrapping up its wonderful run at the Four Seasons Centre, we thought we'd ask the members of the low brass section of the COC Orchestra - Charles Benaroya (Principal trombone), Ian Cowie (trombone), Herbert Poole (trombone), and Scott Irvine (tuba/cimbasso) - a bit about what's helping bring Verdi's very human, and humorous opera to life: the valve trombone!

You might call Giuseppe Verdi obsessive when it came to the slightest detail, but it’s those small changes that truly bring out the mood that the composer was trying to achieve.

That’s where the valve trombone comes in.

Verdi envisioned a low brass section that could articulate the very quick, light passages that communicate not only the humor but also the very rich, human tone in the score. Falstaff was also Verdi’s last opera, and with decades of experience behind him, he went "all out" and a score that used all of the instruments to their fullest effect.

Charles Benaroya, Principal trombonist in the orchestra explains that when Verdi “was really starting to orchestrate at his best, he had these specific instruments in mind in his last two operas especially [Otello and Falstaff]. Everything gets used really well, in lots of different ways and there are a lot of fun effects [in Falstaff’s score].”

Verdi may have very well be pleased with the COC Orchestra, as the COC is only one of two opera companies that recently used these unique instruments in their repertoire! In fact, for most Italian operas the COC low brass will use older instruments to fully realize the composer’s intended ideas in the score.

But why go that extra mile? Benaroya explains that “Slide trombones today that are used in symphonies have been trending towards becoming bigger which leads to a broader heavier sounds, which is great if you’re announcing the arrival of the Valkyries, or if Salome is dying, but in this music, which is lighter and more humourous, the lighter, crisper sound that you get from the Valve trombones contributes to a more appropriate mood.”

What's the difference anyway?

Charles explains what the difference is (and watch below to really hear it!) and why they might have fallen out of fashion:
“On a Slide trombone, I had to articulate [with different breaths], or else you would end with one big 'smear' but on the Valve trombone you can do one stream of air, and the valves do all the work.”

“Certain things are easier on a Valve system instead of a slide system, but as the instruments fell out of fashion, and then people stopped writing for them, because they knew they would be played by slide trombone players. The valve trombone never came into common use outside of Italy because the straighter tubing in a slide trombone allows for better airflow through the instrument, leading to a bigger, purer sound."

It might not seem like much of a difference to the average listener, but here's a an excerpt of a passage from Verdi’s Falstaff to illustrate how this instrument is bringing the score to life:

FUN FACT: Did you know the instrument being used by Charles (far left in the video clip) was owned by none other than Rob McConnell, founder and Director of the Boss Brass? This renowned group of Toronto-based brass musicians recorded many albums, including recording with famous singers like Mel Tormé!